Nonviral retrograde gene transfer of human hepatocyte growth factor improves neuropathic pain-related phenomena in rats.
Peripheral nerve injury occasionally causes chronic neuropathic pain with hyperalgesia and allodynia. However, its treatment is difficult. Here, we used a chronic constriction injury (CCI) model in rats to investigate the effects on experimental neuropathic pain of the human hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) gene delivered into the nervous system by retrograde axonal transport following its repeated intramuscular transfer, using liposomes containing the hemagglutinating virus of Japan (HVJ). CCI (control) rats exhibited marked mechanical allodynia and thermal hyperalgesia, and decreased blood flow in sciatic nerve and hind paw. All these changes were significantly reversed by HGF gene transfer. In the sciatic nerve in HGF-treated rats, the size-frequency distributions for myelinated and unmyelinated axons each showed a rightward shift, the number of myelinated axons >5 microm in diameter was significantly increased, and the mean diameter of unmyelinated axons was significantly increased (versus CCI rats). Levels of P2X3, P2X4, and P2Y1 receptor mRNAs, and of interleukin-6 (IL-6) and activating transcription factor 3 (ATF3) mRNAs, were elevated in the ipsilateral dorsal root ganglia and/or sciatic nerve by CCI, and these levels were decreased by HGF gene transfer. These results may point toward a potential new treatment strategy for chronic neuropathic pain in this model.
Tsuchihara
Toyokazu
T
Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, National Defense Medical College, Tokorozawa, Japan.
Ogata
Sho
S
Nemoto
Koichi
K
Okabayashi
Takatoshi
T
Nakanishi
Kuniaki
K
Kato
Naoki
N
Morishita
Ryuichi
R
Kaneda
Yasufumi
Y
Uenoyama
Maki
M
Suzuki
Shinya
S
Amako
Masatoshi
M
Kawai
Toshiaki
T
Arino
Hiroshi
H
D051700:Activating Transcription Factor 3 / Q000235:genetics; D000818:Animals; D005822:Genetic Vectors; D017228:Hepatocyte Growth Factor; D006801:Humans; D006930:Hyperalgesia / Q000378:metabolism / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000628:therapy*; D015850:Interleukin-6 / Q000235:genetics; D008081:Liposomes; D008297:Male; D009437:Neuralgia / Q000378:metabolism / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000628:therapy*; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D029082:Sendai virus / Q000235:genetics
D051700:Activating Transcription Factor 3; C066855:HGF protein, human; D015850:Interleukin-6; D008081:Liposomes; D017228:Hepatocyte Growth Factor